A gift of time, service worth about $250,000

WANTAGE — Miles and Lisa Kuperus, Chris Dragon and Rich Kalish, with Farmside Landscape & Design, a member of the Professional Landcare Network, participated in “Renewal & Remembrance” at Arlington National Cemetery and Historic Congressional Cemetery on Monday, July 24. Hundreds of lawn care, landscape, and tree care companies from across the nation brought their crews to both cemeteries and spent the day mulching, pruning, liming, planting, and aerating. An irrigation system was also installed at Arlington National Cemetery. The gift of time and services is valued at more than $250,000. “This was a tremendous opportunity for us to demonstrate our professional skills and care for two important American monuments,” states Phil Fogarty, a member and organizer of the event, now in its 10th year. For Farmside’s, Lisa Kuperus, was brought back to where her father served in the Old Guard and had the duty of guarding J.F. Kennedy’s grave site during his years of service in the Army. “It is great to have an opportunity personally and as business with our staff to give back to our country. ” she said. The day began at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony featuring a joint color guard and speaker presentations to dedicate the day of work to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. “This was the most significant project that PLANET will carry out this year,” notes Fogarty. To date, the project has given more than $1 million in goods, services, and labor to Arlington National and Historic Congressional cemeteries. The weekend event continued on Tuesday, July 25, with members visiting their congressional leaders on capitol hill and spoke with them about issues facing the green industry, including the immigration bill.